For Your Benefit
For and about Hawaii's military
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Medications, therapy help treat PTSD
Question: What kinds of treatment exist for post-traumatic stress disorder?
Answer: PTSD is treated by psychotherapy and medication. Studies show that medications help ease associated symptoms of depression and anxiety and improve sleep. The most widely used drug treatments are the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, such as Prozac and Zoloft. Psychotherapy that appears to be most effective are cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy and group therapy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy focuses on the veteran's thoughts about the trauma. Exposure therapy involves having the patient repeatedly relive the traumatic experience under controlled conditions to help him or her work through the trauma. Group therapy may entail discussion of the traumatic events and/or current life with a group of people going through the same thing. Families can benefit from couples counseling, couples communication classes and family therapy. For information on couples or family counseling, contact the Vet Center at 973-8387. PTSD treatment information is also available from the VA by calling 433-0600 and asking for mental health, or by contacting the Pacific Center for PTSD on Oahu at 566-1935.
Q: I need a copy of my discharge certificate. Is there a way to obtain one online?
A: The National Personnel Records Center has provided the following Web site for veterans to gain access to their DD-214's (discharge certificates): http://vetrecs.archives.gov. Veterans and the next of kin of deceased former military members may now use a new online military personnel records system to request documents. Other people with a need for documents must still complete the standard form 180, which can be downloaded from the Web site.
If you have questions about your benefits as a veteran, call Fred Ballard at the Veterans Affairs at 433-0049 or visit the VA Web site at
www.va.gov/hawaii or the Star-Bulletin at 529-4747.